Biden briefed by FBI as Trump appears to refer to suspect as foreign national even though identity has not been confirmed
Political reaction to the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that is being investigated as a terrorist incident, came swiftly on Wednesday, with the White House saying that Joe Biden had been briefed by senior leadership at the FBI and by the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security.
The president also spoke by phone this morning with the New Orleans mayor, LaToya Cantrell, “to offer full federal support” according to the White House.
The attorney general Merrick Garland said that the FBI, the ATF, and prosecutors with the national security division and the local federal prosecutor’s office are all working on the terrorism case.
“My heart is broken for those who began their year by learning people they love were killed in this horrific attack,” Garland said. He vowed to “deploy every available resource to conduct this investigation”.
Donald Trump appeared to refer to the suspect, who was shot dead by police, as a foreign national. Police have not confirmed the suspect’s identity.
“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” the president-elect posted on his Truth Social network.
“The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!”
Troy Carter, the Democrat congressman whose 2nd district includes New Orleans, commended “the swift actions of the New Orleans Police Department and federal law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to neutralize the threat and secure the area”.
In a follow-up post on X, Carter said he hand spoken with the homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the White House regarding last night’s “unspeakable act of violence”.
“My heart is with the victims, their families, and everyone who witnessed this horrific attack during what should have been a joyful New Year’s celebration,” he added.
The House speaker, Mike Johnson, whose congressional district is west of New Orleans, said: “The vicious attack on innocent people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans early this morning was an act of pure evil, and justice must be swift for anyone who was involved.
“Please join us in praying for the victims, their families, and the first responders and investigators on the scene,” Johnson added in a statement on X.
The district attorney who represents New Orleans, Jason Williams, said law enforcement officers were “ready to deal with any event”. But the individual “had his mind set on hurting as many people as he could”. The police response, he added, “was swift and very overwhelming”.
Police in New Orleans said earlier that at least 10 people were killed and 35 more were injured after a man drove a pickup truck into crowds on Bourbon Street in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year’s Day, in what city officials called a deliberate attack.
The New Orleans police superintendent, Anne Kirkpatrick, said the man drove the truck at high speed into crowds around 3.15am, before crashing and opening fire. Two police officers were wounded and investigators said they had found what appeared to be improvised explosive devices in the vehicle.
“It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” Kirkpatrick said in a news conference Wednesday morning. “He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
Williams said in a statement that the city “is incredibly resilient, but this morning our hearts break for the innocent lives devastated by this hateful act.”
Williams thanked first responders “that activated quickly to prevent further carnage and continue to work this scene” and requested that the public avoid the area as law enforcement “continue processing the very large crime scene”.
